June 13, 2017

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How Xbox One backward compatibility works: The Xbox 360 and Xbox games list and more

by John_A

For a considerable while now, you have been able to play Xbox 360 games on an Xbox One or Xbox One S (reviewed here). Not all of your old library of games are playable, but there are several hundred titles now available. And Xbox is adding to this list regularly as new titles are checked and cleared for release.

Now it has announced that it will be bringing original, classic first-gen Xbox games to the platform too. And the service will be available on the new, 4K-capable Xbox One X after its launch in November.

But do you have to do anything different to get it to work? Exactly how will Xbox 360 and/or Xbox games play on an Xbox One? And can you buy Xbox backward compatible games on an Xbox One? Here’s our handy guide to the feature.

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How does Xbox One backward compatibility work?

Microsoft first announced that it would be adding backward compatibility to its current generation console during E3 2015, and the initial wave of 104 games arrived in November that year.

The Xbox One is able to play Xbox 360 games through emulation software that makes the console think it’s a last generation machine for the purposes of playing older games. Compatibility with original Xbox games will soon be added to the emulator too.

When a supported game is started on the machine, the Xbox One opens the emulator and, in all regards, the game works as if it was running on an Xbox 360 or original Xbox console. The opening screen appears first then the game will load.

All other aspects and features that would normally be available on an Xbox 360 or Xbox are available on the Xbox One too, including the hub on the former (which can be opened through a simultaneous press of the menu and view buttons on the Xbox One controller). In addition, all new features of the Xbox One work, including the ability to take screen grabs and record and share video of gameplay.

Does Xbox One backward compatibility cost me anything?

Although Sony opted for a paid route to play PS3 games on a PS4, through the PlayStation Now cloud gaming platform, Microsoft decided to offer its backward compatibility for free as part of the November update at the end of 2015.

If you own a supported game already, you do not have to pay anything to play it on Xbox One.

Obviously, it costs to purchase new Xbox 360 or Xbox games that work on the machine.

Many of the games with backward compatibility are also available as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription. For £7.99 a month, you get access to more than 100 games to download and play on your console, made up of a mix of classic Xbox 360 games and Xbox One titles. Hopefully, original Xbox games will be part of the mix when they launch later this year.

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Does Xbox One backward compatibility work with Xbox games I bought through Xbox Live?

Xbox One backward compatibility works with digital content as well as disc games. In fact, if you enter a supported disc into your Xbox One, the machine will download the game from Xbox Live first – although you will need the disc to be in the machine each time you play.

If you own a digital copy of a supported game it appears in your games list ready for download. Check your Games and Apps hub to see if any are listed among the games yet to be installed.

Can I buy Xbox 360 and Xbox games on my Xbox One?

Since the March 2016 update compatible Xbox 360 games have been listed for purchase on the Xbox One game store. If you are an Xbox Live Gold member, you now also see free Xbox 360 games to download each month alongside Xbox One titles as part of the Games for Gold scheme.

That means you get two free Xbox One games and two free Xbox One games a month.

Prices for the Xbox 360 games on the online store vary, but start at around £3.

Original Xbox games will be added in the coming months. One of those announced is Crimson Skies.

Can I carry on with my previous Xbox 360 game saves on Xbox One?

If you originally set your Xbox 360 to save games to the cloud you will be able to download the save files to the Xbox One version and carry on. The cloud files are permanently associated with your gamertag so the Xbox One should do this automatically.

If you only saved your in-game progress locally, to the hard drive, you will need to restart your Xbox 360 and save them to the cloud instead. If you no longer have your Xbox 360, sadly you won’t be able to access the files.

Considering the first-gen Xbox didn’t save games to the cloud in the same way, it is unlikely you’ll be able to carry on with old save games.

What games are available with Xbox One backward compatibility?

There are now more than 300 Xbox 360 titles available as part of the backward compatibility scheme.

The company’s plan is to eventually support every game it feasibly can bar a few that cannot be made compatible due to requiring additional accessories to run. These include games like the original Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, plus any that worked with the original Kinect. Even if you have the Xbox One Kinect, it will not be compatible with previous Xbox 360 Kinect games.

Xbox games will be added later this year and we’ll update this list when they they are available.

Here’s a full list of the Xbox 360 games that are currently available with backward compatibility for Xbox One (as of 7 June 2017):